A December to remember…

A word from Mahsa…

🌟 Kia ora <<First Name>> 🌟

As we celebrate 10 years of She Sharp, I’m reflecting on the incredible journey we’ve shared. From humble beginnings—just 20 members meeting over coffee—to a thriving community of over 3,000, we’ve worked tirelessly to empower wāhine in STEM.

This year has been particularly special as I had the privilege of celebrating the achievements of my students at the Auckland University of Technology graduation day. From three phenomenal PhD graduates to three brilliant Master’s graduates, it was a powerful reminder of what dedication, resilience, and support can achieve.

Their success embodies what She Sharp is all about: creating opportunities, shifting mindsets, and helping women see their potential in STEM. This year, we’ve expanded mentorship programmes, hosted inspiring events, and tackled challenges like confidence-building, sustainability, and breaking gender biases in tech. Watching our community grow and thrive has been a true privilege.

As the year comes to a close and the holidays approach, I hope you find time to rest, recharge, and celebrate your own achievements—big and small. Let’s step into the new year with renewed energy, ready to break barriers, lift each other up, and make 2025 even brighter.

✨ Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Wishing you a joyful, restful holiday season and a prosperous year ahead! ✨

Ngā mihi nui

Mahsa McCauley
Founder and Chair
She Sharp Charitable Trust

Catch our Google Educator Event! 📚

The Google Educator Conference 2024 🎓, held on November 21st 📅 at Google Wynyard Central, Auckland 📍, united educators from across New Zealand 🇳🇿 to explore innovative STEM teaching methodologies. Hosted by She Sharp and Google, the event featured keynote addresses 🎤, interactive workshops 🛠️, and demonstrations focusing on integrating emerging technologies into classrooms 💻. Keynote speaker Steve Smith, NZ Program Manager for Google for Education, discussed the evolution and future of AI in education 🤖. The conference provided valuable resources 📚 and strategies for educators to engage students with new technologies, fostering creativity 🎨 and preparing them for the demands of 21st-century learning 🌐.

🎨✨ Wrapping up the year in style! ✨

The She Sharp team came together on Wednesday, 11 November, for a creative and joyful breakup event at Paintvine. 🖌️🎄 It was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, connection, and plenty of artistic flair as we painted festive kererū masterpieces to celebrate an incredible year. A big thank you to everyone who made this year so special. Here’s to an even brighter, more inspiring 2025! 🌟

Our Impact Report is here!

She Sharp’s 10th anniversary marks a decade of empowering women in STEM, growing from a small group of 20 to a thriving community of over 3,000 members. Our Impact 2024 report highlights a year of incredible growth—expanding our mentoring programme, hosting innovative hackathons, and tackling key themes like sustainability, confidence, and breaking biases in tech. With over 70 events and 5,000+ attendees to date, we’re proud to provide career exposure, networking opportunities, and inspiration for the next generation. Read the full report to see how together, we’re shaping a more inclusive future in STEM! 🌟

Read the report here.

Mentoring Program Highlights 🎓

We are excited to announce that our second cohort of mentors and mentees have been successfully paired! This initiative has been a tremendous success, providing numerous opportunities for growth, guidance, and meaningful connections. Can’t wait to continue sharing this journey with you!

Check out the program!

Want to be our next featured member?

She Sharp’s very foundations are built on the work that you do, so we want to hear from you! If you’re a budding entrepreneur, a seasoned software developer or anything in between — get in touch with us! We’d love to hear your story and inspire the rest of our community.

Get in touch!

Industry Gossip 🗣️

Check out what’s been going on in the tech world lately…

ChatGPT Search and the AI Search Arms Race: OpenAI on Thursday launched ChatGPT search, positioning the company to better compete with search engines like Google, Microsoft’s Bing and Perplexity. In July, OpenAI announced it was beta-testing a prototype of the search engine, called SearchGPT, and now it’s officially rolled the product into ChatGPT. The feature offers up-to-the-minute sports scores, stock quotes, news, weather and more, powered by real-time web search and partnerships with news and data providers. Read more here.

AI at auction: A humanoid robot named Ai-Da created a portrait of Alan Turing, which sold for $1.08 million at Sotheby's auction. This marks the first time a robot-generated artwork has been sold at auction, sparking discussions about the role of AI in art and its implications for the future. Read more here.

New Zealand’s first hyperscale data centre: Microsoft is establishing its first hyperscale data centre region in New Zealand, aiming to boost digital transformation by providing local businesses and government agencies with scalable, secure cloud services that ensure data residency within the country. Read more here.

AI Training across Oceania: Microsoft has launched an initiative to train one million individuals in Australia and New Zealand in artificial intelligence (AI) skills by 2026. The tech giant will offer courses ranging from basic AI literacy to advanced engineering. This effort builds upon Microsoft's previous commitment to digital skills training in the region, reflecting the growing importance of AI proficiency in the job market. Read more here.